Suns News: Week 10 12/26-1/1

[Hermen]

http://arizonasports.com/story/981228/e ... e-minutes/

Watson basically says Knight isn't willing to put in the effort on the defensive end but Ulis is and that is why Knight isn't playing. Only problem is our starting guards are playing really poorly defensively as well.

Watson basically chucking Knight under the bus. I'm not a Knight fan but singling him out as our defensive problem is pretty amusing. Not something you would expect "family" to do to you.

Just once, I would like us to part ways with a player without bashing him in the media first. Just one f*** time.

This. It hasn't mattered which GM or coach we have, but we do this over and over. It smells of Sarver. I always think back to that first year and the security guard... Not a good person.

Exactly! That security guard tells us everything we need to know about Robert.

Completely agree. And a middle-aged tiger isn't going to change his spots now.

While I am in no way defending Sarver (or Knight), how is he to fault for what Watson says?

[Indy]

Just once, I would like us to part ways with a player without bashing him in the media first. Just one f*** time.

This. It hasn't mattered which GM or coach we have, but we do this over and over. It smells of Sarver. I always think back to that first year and the security guard... Not a good person.

Exactly! That security guard tells us everything we need to know about Robert.

Completely agree. And a middle-aged tiger isn't going to change his spots now.

While I am in no way defending Sarver (or Knight), how is he to fault for what Watson says?

I am not blaming him, exactly. I am saying this behavior has been around for quite some time. We bad-mouth our players when they are on their way out, very regularly. It doesn't matter who our GM or Coach has been, we keep doing it. It just seems like a pattern of behavior that starts at the top. And reports, even from the early days, seem to support it.

[O_Gardino]

Just once, I would like us to part ways with a player without bashing him in the media first. Just one f*** time.

This. It hasn't mattered which GM or coach we have, but we do this over and over. It smells of Sarver. I always think back to that first year and the security guard... Not a good person.

Exactly! That security guard tells us everything we need to know about Robert.

Completely agree. And a middle-aged tiger isn't going to change his spots now.

While I am in no way defending Sarver (or Knight), how is he to fault for what Watson says?

Sarver sets the corporate culture and leads the way in how we treat people in and out of the org. Watson is certainly responsible for his own words, but when you see a pattern of communication coming from one office, look to the guy at the top.

[Hermen]

I see I honestly don't know much about Sarver and other than here I haven't heard that he meddles with the front office a lot (not that that's any indication). But there's a discussion in another topic here about how Watson sometimes says too much to the press (not with bad intentions, just a bit too honest and awkward), and reading this article that's just what it looked like to me. And since he's been doing this from the start, I'm not sure that's Sarver's influence. But maybe that's why they get along
Of course, Sarver is responsible for who he has in the front office, so I'm with you on that.

[pickle]

http://arizonasports.com/story/981228/e ... e-minutes/

Watson basically says Knight isn't willing to put in the effort on the defensive end but Ulis is and that is why Knight isn't playing. Only problem is our starting guards are playing really poorly defensively as well.

Watson basically chucking Knight under the bus. I'm not a Knight fan but singling him out as our defensive problem is pretty amusing. Not something you would expect "family" to do to you.

Just once, I would like us to part ways with a player without bashing him in the media first. Just one f*** time.

This. It hasn't mattered which GM or coach we have, but we do this over and over. It smells of Sarver. I always think back to that first year and the security guard... Not a good person.

Exactly! That security guard tells us everything we need to know about Robert.

What is the security guard story?

[pickle]

Please take this seriously, Pickle.

Ha! That made me laugh out loud. Especially with the name of the person you are addressing.

I've struggled for a full 20 hours for a good retort and still don't have one.

[O_Gardino]

http://arizonasports.com/story/981228/e ... e-minutes/

Watson basically says Knight isn't willing to put in the effort on the defensive end but Ulis is and that is why Knight isn't playing. Only problem is our starting guards are playing really poorly defensively as well.

Watson basically chucking Knight under the bus. I'm not a Knight fan but singling him out as our defensive problem is pretty amusing. Not something you would expect "family" to do to you.

Just once, I would like us to part ways with a player without bashing him in the media first. Just one f*** time.

This. It hasn't mattered which GM or coach we have, but we do this over and over. It smells of Sarver. I always think back to that first year and the security guard... Not a good person.

Exactly! That security guard tells us everything we need to know about Robert.

What is the security guard story?

http://archive.azcentral.com/specials/s ... ver22.html

• On April 9, Sarver initially fired and then reassigned two veteran arena security guards from their plum courtside posts after one guard told Sarver he couldn't sit in an NBA-restricted area.

Security guards Ron Motsinger and Harvey Brady said they have not been allowed back.

Team officials said they have been reassigned and could work at Bank One Ballpark, which uses the same security company. The company is owned by the Suns.

The guards said the problem with Sarver occurred late in the game when two young boys, who were with a season-ticket holder, were sitting in the photographers area near a basket. A different guard asked them to move.

Sarver, according to the guards, gave the boys his seats and then sat in an "escape lane," which players use if momentum carries them off the floor. Sarver confirmed the story but said he only was helping a season ticket holder.

Tim Frank, an NBA spokesman, said the league prohibits anyone from sitting in the escape lane.

"We were both told we were fired. He blew up. It was unbelievable. He got red in the face and jumped over me and Ron," said Brady, who has worked Suns games for 23 years and told Sarver he couldn't sit in the escape lane.

According to Motsinger, Sarver said, "You will never tell me where to sit in my arena."

Motsinger said he lost his position after Sarver told him to remove Brady. Motsinger said he told Sarver he didn't have that authority.

IIRC, Sarver does not own the arena or the security company. The guards were reassigned by the security company simply to avoid having them come face to face with Robert.

[pickle]

Thanks... Damn.

[Superbone]

Imagine him with that red, angry face and a big foam finger pointed at you in rage.

[pickle]

The Trump face?

[Indy]

The Trump face?

Exactly

[ShelC]

Nah, Trump's would be orange.

[Superbone]

Oompa loompa, oompity doo...

[Flagrant Fowl]

Many of us have said it repeatedly, this franchise will never be successful with Sarver at the top.

We just have to hold out hope that things won't get too bad and the next guy can get things going in the right direction. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

[djy2j]

Per Gambo: Suns have released John Jenkins.

Because what else would you do after having him for 2 seasons and never playing him in any NBA or NBADL games?

[carey]

Per Gambo: Suns have released John Jenkins.

Because what else would you do after having him for 2 seasons and never playing him in any NBA or NBADL games?

Opening a roster spot for something?

[The Bobster]

Per Gambo: Suns have released John Jenkins.

Because what else would you do after having him for 2 seasons and never playing him in any NBA or NBADL games?

Contracts become fully-guaranteed on January 10th.

I believe Jenkins' contract wasn't guaranteed, so there you go.

[djy2j]

Doubt it. His contract would have been guaranteed here soon. Wish they'd have taken a better look at him. Could see him latching on to the Spurs and being a Danny Green. Probably not but it wouldn't surprise me.

[Mori Chu]

I didn't care much about Jenkins one way or the other. But given this org's track record, us releasing him is probably a contra-indicator and he'll end up signing somewhere and actually being good.

[SDC]

10. Bullying Marquese Chriss

Experienced big men of the NBA: Stop being so mean to Marquese Chriss! He's only 19! Post-up bullies just steal this poor kid's lunch money at every opportunity, and Chriss is too skinny and inexperienced to do anything about it. Boris Diaw held extended tea-time sessions against Chriss a few weeks ago in Utah; Diaw got the ball up high, saw Chriss in front of him, and just sort of butted his way, ass-first, to the rim for layups.

Chriss would stare at the refs after every Diaw assault with a look that was both angry and desperate: WHY AREN'T YOU DOING ANYTHING TO HELP ME AGAINST THIS LARGE FRENCH MAN? PLEASE HELP! THIS HAS TO BE SOME SORT OF VIOLATION!

Chriss has a fun bad-boy spunk, but refs aren't having any of it from a teenager. He's a tech magnet, and Earl Watson, the Suns coach, has chastised Chriss several times for his ongoing dialogue with officials.

Chriss is gonna be good, but starting him is a great way to tank. The Suns are last in the West, jostling with Miami, Brooklyn, Philly, Dallas and the Lakers for the league lead in losses, and they've made a clear move toward youth the last couple of weeks. They've damn near benched both Brandon Knight and Jared Dudley -- not that Knight was helping much -- and reserved regular minutes for Dragan Bender.

The race to the bottom is going to be a fun second-half storyline, especially since the Lakers owe their pick to Philadelphia unless it falls within the top three.

http://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=18414044

he should be guarding SFs instead of bigs, although diaw is only 6-8.